Set up Guest Coco to answer guests in the reservation chat

Add-on: Coco AI Assistant (beta), plus guest messaging (Advanced Guest App or Guest Chat add-on)BackofficeFor managersBeta

Needs: Any user who can open Settings › Coco AI Assistant

Guest Coco replies to guests in the chat attached to their reservation. It answers questions about your venue, can update that booking when the guest asks, and hands over to your team when it can't help.

Where to find it

Backoffice › Settings › Coco AI Assistant › Guest Coco and Venue interview (guest AI).

What it does

  • Answers guests using your live opening hours, reservation rules and active experiences (shown under Auto-filled context (preview)), plus what you write in the venue interview and Additional notes for the AI.
  • Changes only the booking the chat belongs to — date, time, party size or special requests — and only after the guest explicitly confirms. For a new visit it sends the guest to your website.
  • Adds short team-only notes to the reservation (for example a birthday or a dog coming along) and, for lasting facts such as allergies, to the guest profile.
  • Hands the conversation to your team when it can't answer accurately or the guest asks for a person, and tells the guest someone will follow up.

How to set it up

  1. Make sure the Coco AI Assistant add-on is on for the location.
  2. Make sure guests can message you: enable Advanced Guest App or Guest Chat under Settings › Add-ons. Until then the page says "Guest messaging is off."
  3. Fill in the Venue interview (guest AI): children welcome, vegetarian and vegan options, allergen handling, dogs, wheelchair access, parking, dress code, private dining, outdoor seating, cuisine, price range, payment methods, special events. Short answers are fine.
  4. Add anything else under Additional notes for the AI — seasonal menus, closures, policies, tone of voice.
  5. Click Save knowledge base. The status shows Interview: Ready once at least half is answered.
  6. Switch on Guest Coco.

Good to know

  • You need at least half of the interview questions answered and saved before Guest Coco can be switched on.
  • Keep the interview up to date: Guest Coco only knows what is in your settings and your answers.
  • Guest Coco replies are not counted against the backoffice free Coco requests.
  • Review conversations regularly in Guest Messages, especially while Coco is in beta.

Troubleshooting

The Guest Coco switch is greyed out: "Enable guest messaging first" Neither Advanced Guest App nor Guest Chat is on. Enable one of them under Settings › Add-ons.

"Answer at least half of the interview and save before enabling guest AI" Answer more questions and click Save knowledge base, then try again. The progress shows as "6 / 14 answered (need at least half)".

Guest Coco gave a wrong answer It answers from your settings and interview. Correct the relevant answer or add a note under Additional notes for the AI, then save.

Guest Coco didn't change the booking the guest asked about It only changes the booking linked to that chat, and only after the guest confirms the exact change. If no table is available at the new time, the change isn't made.